Dad’s Surgery

Bryant’s dad underwent surgery last week for prostrate cancer. The surgery went very well and dad only spent one night in the hospital. He traveled to Orlando so that a specialist surgeon could perform the operation using a new robotics technology. Dad will need some follow-up treatment after he has fully recovered, but for now, he’s feeling fine and glad to have the surgery behind him. Bryant and Kevin flew to Orlando for the surgery and dad’s brother and sisters also came down, so he had plenty of folks to look after him. Thanks to everyone for their well wishes.

Christmas 2008

It’s been a busy few months in the Morris household. In December, we traveled to Alabama to spend Christmas with Bryant’s family. Kevin and Templa and their daughters Micah and Rylan hosted us at their home in Huntsville. Mimi and Papa drove up from Mobile, and the whole Morris family was together for several days. Henry loved spending time with Micah and Rylan, who shared their great toys and never tired of playing, singing and playing “dress up” with their younger cousin (imagine Henry in a tutu and Batman cape). We made special arrangements for Santa to deliver Henry’s toys early, and he received a basketball goal, a Hokey Pokey Elmo doll, a push truck, and lots of new books for Christmas (Henry has recently become obsessed with “reading” and regularly insists on having his parents recite the same story multiple times in a row; his favorites are Goodnight Gorilla, Tumble Bumble, The Foot Book, The Cat in the Hat, and My First Farm Book). He also received lots of clothes and toys from his family, including a toy train from Mimi Pauline, a rocking horse from Mimi and Papa Morris, and a Pizza Party Elmo doll (with a somewhat scary singing pizza; watch the YouTube video here) from Kevin, Templa and the girls. Henry’s parents also did pretty well at Christmas: Elise got an iphone and Bryant got a new electric shaver.

While we were in Huntsville, we visited with Bryant’s cousin Carrie Turner and her family (husband Quitman and daughters Maddie and Sydney). Carrie is the daughter of Bryant’s mother’s brother Rusty, which makes Henry a second cousin to Maddie and Sydney (we think). The Turners also have a family blog, which you can check out here.

After we returned from Alabama, Henry received a visit from yet more cousins. Dawn Brown took the train down from Shepherdstown with her children Emily and Alexander. Since we’re tracking the whole cousin connection: Dawn is the wife of Stokes Baker, who is the son of Elise’s Aunt Barbara, who is technically her mother’s cousin. We have no idea what type of relative that makes Henry to Emily and Alexander, but it was great to have them visit! Alexander showed Henry how to play toy soldiers and Emily read to him. And of course, they brought more gifts!

With all the new toys filling up our living room, we decided to put our condo up for sale. We’ve lived in our condo for three years now and are quickly running out of space. So, the first few weeks of the New Year have been spent investigating rental homes and meeting with real estate agents. With any luck, we’ll be in a new home by the summer!

You can see more photos from Christmas here:

Moving On Up

Henry began transitioning to the toddler class this month. At first he visited for just a few hours, then he stayed for lunch, and this week he began napping (on a cot!) in his new classroom. So far he seems to be enjoying the new surroundings, especially the daily visits to the playground. But everything hasn’t been easy: the toddlers only take one nap a day (after lunch), so Henry has had to forgo his mid-morning snooze. And his best friend Olivia won’t be transitioning until after the New Year, so she and Henry are facing the prospect of a long distance relationship.

Afternoon at the Museum

Last weekend we went to the National Museum of Natural History with Elise’s friend Sarah Walter, who was visiting us from San Francisco. Henry loves to climb on hard surfaces, so the rocks and minerals exhibit was a real treat. He enjoyed feeling the different textures of the rock formations and crystals. Afterward, we visited the butterfly exhibit where you can walk through a tropical enclosure with hundreds of live butterflies, some of them as big as birds! Then we went to see the other insects, including a tank of giant cockroaches. Our last stop was the dinosaur exhibit, although by this stage Henry was more interested in climbing the museum stairs than looking at fossils. After an enjoyable day out, we headed home where Sarah made us a delicious pasta dinner.

Below are some pictures from our outing:

Thanksgiving 2008

This year we avoided our usual holiday travel and spent Thanksgiving in Washington. Mimi Joanne and Paw Paw Bill flew up from Alabama and stayed with us through the weekend. Henry was excited to spend time with his grandparents and really enjoyed Mimi’s cooking, especially the sausage balls (see Things We Like: Sausage Balls). Elise had to work on Friday, so the rest of us headed to the zoo, which was only slightly less crowded than the shopping malls. On Saturday, we drove out to Tyson’s Corner so that Henry could meet Santa Claus. As you can see from the photo, Henry wasn’t too sure about the old man in the red suit, but he didn’t cry, which seemed like an accomplishment. Santa was impressed by Henry’s bravery and promised to bring him lots of toys.

First Haircut

We took Henry for his first haircut on Sunday. We contemplated cutting it ourselves, but eventually thought better of that plan. Instead, we went to Cartoon Cuts in the mall. Technical difficulties prevented us from capturing the moment on film, but all things considered, Henry did very well. Below are some before and after shots:

Happy (Feet) Halloween

Halloween was a week-long celebration in the Morris family this year. First up was Boo at the Zoo. Every year the National Zoo stays open late for several nights of family friendly trick-or-treating. The grounds of the zoo are decorated with spooky displays and local vendors give away treats. In keeping with the animal theme, Henry dressed as a penguin. Our favorite part of the night was a visit to see the big cats. In order to see the cats, we had to walk through the mouth of a giant tiger, pass through its stomach and guts, and eventually exit through the rear end. Judging from the sound effects, this tiger was suffering from some major indigestion. Henry was interested in all the new sites and sounds but cared little about the candy. Something tells us that won’t last long. Later in the week we celebrated the annual harvest festival at Henry’s daycare center. Each family brought a “homemade” dish (ours was fruit salad) and enjoyed a potluck dinner. Then it was on to Halloween itself. Henry got into the holiday spirit at daycare by wearing a flashing ghost t-shirt from his Mimi Joanne. Later in the day the children showed off their costumes (pumpkin costumes were the most popular in the infant classroom). By the time evening arrived, Henry was getting a little tired of being a penguin but managed to rally for a quick stroll around the neighborhood.